The penultimate weekend of the regular season has some exciting matchups in store for fans. But more importantly, with only a few opportunities left to sure up RQS, these meets matter more than ever. As always, you’ll find everything you need to follow along with all the action, including previews of the top matchups, Fantasy Gymnastics resources and every scoring and video link you could ever need.
No. 12 Arizona State, No. 10 Arkansas and No. 15 Denver at No. 1 Oklahoma: Friday, March 9 at 8 p.m. ET
Oklahoma hosts a quad meet on Friday night that will be sure to excite. While the Sooners are by far the clear frontrunners, we should see a fierce battle between Arizona State, Arkansas and Denver for the remaining rankings. The three teams have been going back and forth in the rankings for a few weeks now and this meet will really come down to who has the best meet among the three teams. Oklahoma is coming off of a season high 198.375 at home against Michigan. Sophomore Maggie Nichols continued to excel for the Sooners, scoring 9.950 or better on every event—including two 10s on vault and beam—to win the all around title with a 39.900. Not to be outshone by Nichols, junior Brenna Dowell nearly matched Nichols’ vault with a 9.975 and fellow junior Nicole Lehrmann competed in the all around for the second time in her career, totaling just 0.225 off Nichols’ stellar score.
The Sun Devils have struggled with consistency this season, but seem to have found their footing again in the past three meets, consistently scoring in the mid 196s. Arkansas is also coming off a season high score of a 197.275, which is also a program record and leads the team to its highest RQS in program history. The Razorbacks also set a program record for team bars score at 49.525. Razorback freshman Sophia Carter continues to show her beam prowess and is proving herself to be the top freshman of that class, however Sydney Laird has begun to find her consistency as well. The Pioneers, like Arkansas and Oklahoma, are also coming off a season best score of 197.300. Sophomore Maddie Karr continues to shine for the Pios. She doesn’t have as high of a ceiling as Nichols, but she should be up there in the all around along with Nichols. The team welcomed freshman Lynnzee Brown back to the beam lineup on Monday; this stabilized the team’s lineup that had been shaky ever since she was out with injury. When it comes down to it, Arkansas and Denver are the most likely two to take second based on their potential and season high scores. With that said, don’t ignore ASU because the Sun Devils will be ready to capitalize on mistakes and have the ability to challenge when firing on all cylinders. At the end of the day, the meet is Oklahoma’s to lose, but the more interesting part will be how the Pioneers, Razorbacks and Sun Devils perform and stack up among each other.
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No. 12 @SunDevilGym, No. 10 @RazorbackGym and No. 15 @DU_Gymnastics head to No. 1 @OU_WGymnastics Friday at 8 p.m. ET! We want to know who will be the top non-Sooner team!
— NCAA Gym News (@NCAAGymNews) March 6, 2018
Elevate the Stage with No. 6 Alabama and No. 16 Auburn: Friday, March 9 at 8 p.m. ET
Injuries haven’t been able to slow down the Crimson Tide. Alabama is looking sharper than ever after getting off to a sluggish start. The Tide notched a season high score last week but one of its biggest stories was in freshman Lexi Graber, who competed for the second time ever in the all around, earning a 39.500. Graber has come in clutch for the Tide when it most needed it, notably stepping in from an alternate position on the uneven bars to earn a 9.900. If Graber continues to deliver the all around scores she got last week, she could be Alabama’s newest all around star. The Tigers had a tough showing against LSU and have gotten into a pattern of inconsistency in 2018. The past two weeks have seen scores in the mid 195s and Auburn is going to want to go back to its early-season form to be able to compete with Alabama. The Tigers don’t have stand out all arounders like Alabama does, but it makes up for that in a team of underclassmen. Look for Gracie Day and Abby Milliet to try and lead Auburn to the top.
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| Alabama | Alabama | Alabama | Alabama | Alabama | Alabama | Alabama | Alabama | Alabama |
The final @ElevateTheStage college competition is Friday at 8 p.m. ET between No. 6 @BamaGymnastics and No. 16 @AuburnGym! Who wins this rematch? #NCAAgym
— NCAA Gym News (@NCAAGymNews) March 6, 2018
No. 4 Utah at No. 7 Michigan: Saturday, March 10 at 2 p.m. ET
Michigan returns to the Crisler Center for another top ten matchup after a loss to Oklahoma in Norman last weekend. This one has some good news for fans of close meets: Michigan’s highest home score is a 197.550; Utah’s highest road score is also a 197.550. We should be in for a wild ride. Though the Wolverines didn’t challenge the Sooners last weekend, they did have their most successful road meet this year and saw the return of Lauren Farley to the bar and beam lineups and Emma McLean to floor. Those are crucial routines. Madison Osman, who has been out all year with a knee injury, was also dressed for the meet, implying that her return may be close, which would take some pressure off of the shallow vault and floor lineups. The Utes come to Ann Arbor after a tough upset in Berkeley. MyKayla Skinner only competed bars and beam due to a tweaked ankle; if she is able, expect her back in the all around since Utah will want to avoid dropping two in a row. This is Michigan’s senior night, and with the Utes in town, expect scores to get a little wild, especially during the second half of the meet. Utah is the favorite, but the Wolverines are historically at their best at home against top opponents. This is anyone’s meet.
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| UM | Utah | Utah | Utah | Utah | UM | UM | UM | UM |
No. 4 @UtahGymnastics heads to No. 7 @UMichWGym Saturday at 2 p.m. ET! Who wins? #NCAAgym
— NCAA Gym News (@NCAAGymNews) March 6, 2018
No. 14 Boise State at No. 17 Georgia: Saturday, March 10 at 4 p.m. ET
RQS will be the name of the game in Athens this week as the Broncos visit the Gymdogs for a rare out-of-conference meet. Both teams will be jockeying for position in the No. 10-20 spots and both are looking for favorable regional draws with opportunities for improvement quickly running out. Neither team is perfectly in control of its own fate, but both are looking for good scores to keep their outlooks as positive as possible. Boise State will be looking for a favorable road score to replace a low 196 it’s currently counting, and Stegeman Coliseum is certainly known for its big scores. Senior all arounder Shani Remme and sophomore Courtney McGregor will lead the way for the Broncos, with one or the other winning MRGC Gymnast of the Week every time in 2018. But to earn a strong score, it’ll take more than just these two powerhouses. With the strength of their other events, if the Broncos can get their best beam lineup to all hit in the same meet, they could very well be on track for their first 197 of the year. Meanwhile, Georgia doesn’t have a lot of moving up it can do while at home since the worst of its counting scores (a 195) is a road meet. Georgia doesn’t have a mandatory number it can reach to prevent anyone from passing it, and that’s the scary part—they could end up outside of seeded positions if some of the teams below get the scores they need to move up. Instead of focusing on their lack of control, though, expect the Gymdogs to turn focus inward on their own performances. Most important for this team is hitting all five routines on vault and floor because with the current five-up strategy, hitting five for five on those events is absolutely critical. The return of Emily Schild is something to watch because once she’s healthy again, the Gymdogs should be back to six on every event, a milestone they’ll hope to hit before the postseason begins. It will also be senior night in Stegeman, so expect to see the scores fly and many tears shed—this is going to be a close one.
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No. 14 @BroncoSportsGYM takes on No. 17 @UGAGymnastics Saturday at 4 p.m. ET! Who wins? #NCAAgym
— NCAA Gym News (@NCAAGymNews) March 6, 2018
No. 41 Pittsburgh and No. 31 West Virginia at No. 18 George Washington: Sunday, March 11 at 1 p.m. ET
It’s no secret that George Washington has had an astronomical rise nationally in recent years. The Colonials are currently sitting pretty in a seeded position for regionals, and they’re going to want to stay there. Last week the team came close to breaking the team program record. With this meet being its senior day, expect both an emotional affair and strong performances. GW currently has seven seniors, and Cami Drouin-Allaire, Jillian Winstanley and Elizabeth Pfeiler will be the ones to watch. They’ve lead GW to numerous victories and will look to end their collegiate careers on a high note. Fellow EAGL rival Pittsburgh has also had an impressive breakout year but remains in the middle of the pack in the conference and has suffered from inconsistency. While Pitt and GW are an exciting conference matchup, West Virginia comes from out of conference and can break up this friendly EAGL rivalry. Though the Mountaineers are ranked higher than the Panthers, Pitt actually has a higher season high with a 196.475 vs WVU’s 196.225. But West Virginia has maintained a consistency Pitt is struggling to achieve.
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| GW | GW | GW | GW | GW | GW | GW | GW | GW |
No. 41 @Pitt_GYM and No. 31 @WVUGymnastics head to No. 18 @GWGymnastics Sunday at 1 p.m. ET! Who wins? #NCAAgym
— NCAA Gym News (@NCAAGymNews) March 6, 2018
Other Notable Matchups
No. 13 Nebraska at No. 5 Florida: Friday, March 9 at 7 p.m. ET
It’s senior night in the O-Dome as the Gators invite the Huskers to the Swamp for their final week at home. Without floor superstar Kennedy Baker, the Gators struggled last week on floor and lost to Missouri for the first time in program history. That’s a disappointment they’ll be eager to scrub from their memories, especially as they face another up and coming team in Nebraska. After the issues with floor last week, expect a shakeup in the lineup, with Alex McMurtry likely returning and Megan Skaggs potentially subbing in for classmate Jazmyn Foberg. Nebraska, on the other hand, is coming off of two good meets last weekend, with a win at Elevate the Stage and a second-place finish at its own Masters Classic. The Huskers have an opportunity to drop a 195 out of their RQS picture, which would mean a pretty significant jump in the standings if they can capitalize on the more forgiving scoring that’s prevalent in the SEC. Junior all around duo Sienna Crouse and Megan Schweihofer should continue to be top scorers for the Huskers, with freshman Kynsee Roby a significant asset as well, particularly in lead-off positions. Watch the return of Taylor Houchin, too. She was injured in preseason but has been a leader on bars and added vault back just last week. She’s also been pushing to get back to beam in training videos, so we may see that come to fruition in Gainesville this week.
No. 2 LSU at No. 24 N.C. State: Friday, March 9 at 7 p.m. ET
LSU’s trend this season has been breaking records and will continue to try to top another stellar weekend. Not only did LSU break 198 for the third time this season, Sarah Finnegan and Myia Hambrick got their long awaited perfect 10s on floor. While Kennedi Edney didn’t get a perfect score, she came close, and landed a career high 39.775 all around score. N.C. State underwent a tremendous transformation under its new head coach Kim Landrus, so while LSU may be the favorites to take the win, don’t expect the Wolfpack to sit back and take it. Chelsea Knight is a consistent all around gymnast who excels on bars, beam and floor, and last week notched a 9.925 on beam to total an all around score of 39.525. Finnegan and Hambrick are two of the top all arounders in the nation, but Knight has her own strengths and can win any of the events if either LSU gymnast has an off night.
No. 71 Alaska, No. 20 California and No. 22 Minnesota at No. 56 Sacramento State: Friday, March 9 at 10 p.m. ET
Watch Cal’s ranking after this weekend; it’s still counting a road 194.85 in its RQS and could easily move into the top 18 and provisional regionals seeding with two strong road performances, with a chance at the top 10. Its first chance will put it face to face with Minnesota, which can put up a high 196 on its best day. Of the two, Cal has the higher ceiling, but as the narrow ranking gap demonstrates, the margin for error for the Bears is slim. Also keep an eye on the all around tussle between Toni-Ann Williams (No. 13) and Lexy Ramler (No. 17), as well as Ivy Lu who could easily win the bars and/or beam titles. Alaska set a season high of 191.725 in its last meet versus Seattle Pacific two weeks ago, and with likely only two meets left in its season, it’s important to set a competitive total here against its MPSF rival. Sacramento State scored its first 195 of the season in its last home meet last month and is in a strong position to repeat that and put itself in position to upset one of the top teams if they have an off day.
No. 43 Michigan State at No. 11 Oregon State: Saturday, March 10 at 5:30 p.m. ET
Michigan State has struggled with depth this year. A pile of injuries have left the Spartans’ fate in the hands of freshmen. Recently, the loss of junior all arounder Roya Shirley has dampened regionals hopes. Hailee Westney continues to shine on bars and beam, and freshman Lea Mitchell has found her stride in the all around. The goal in Corvallis for MSU will be cleaning up details and solidifying early lineup routines, shooting for a 195 away total. The Beavers are coming off a strong performance against BYU and will be hunting for the 197 they missed by only a quarter of a tenth Monday. Senior Dani Dessaints was not even dressed for that contest, though, and is likely out again this week. Her absence is felt on vault and beam, but Oregon State has proven over the last few weeks that it has the depth to hit big totals without her.
No. 3 UCLA at No. 27 Stanford: Sunday, March 11 at 4 p.m. ET
UCLA heads to the Bay Area for its first of two oddly timed meets over the weekend. The Bruins, who are sitting pretty in the top three in the country, will look to put up a big road score and drop a 197.425 still hanging around its RQS. But the main questions surrounding this meet will be about vault. With the past two meets showing subpar performances on the event, neither reaching a total higher than 49.125. Keep an eye on those lineups and whether UCLA throw up its ideal lineup of six, as well as how many 10.0 start values that will include. For the Cardinal, it’s crunch time and can put itself in a better position in the standings with a season high performance, especially with it being Elizabeth Price’s senior night (we don’t want to think about it either). But the more pressing issue is the non Price and Kyla Bryant routines. Consistency and bars prowess will be important factors in reaching that season high goal. But it’s also important to note that this is Stanford’s penultimate RQS meet and final before the Pac-12 Championship as the Cardinal has a bye during week 11.
No. 20 California at No. 45 UC Davis: Sunday, March 11 at 5 p.m. ET
This meet is California’s last regular season appearance, with a bye next week leading into the Pac-12 Championship. It’s a strong favorite against current MPSF leader Davis, but the Aggies have been on a roll recently, breaking 196 last week as Kelley Hebert recorded the highest all around score in MPSF history. Watch for lineup changes for the Bears, who are on the second leg of a double meet weekend and might choose to explore options against a lower-ranked opponent. (Remember that we’re still waiting on Emi Watterson’s collegiate debut.) For the Aggies, Hebert and senior star Alexis Brown could be well placed to upset Cal’s Toni-Ann Williams in the all around.
No. 50 San Jose State at No. 3 UCLA: Tuesday, March 13 at 10 p.m. ET
UCLA’s senior night bizarrely takes place on a Tuesday, but diehard fans will show up to Pauley Pavilion to say goodbye to Peng-Peng Lee for real this time. Sonya Meraz, JaNay Honest, Napualani Hall and Rechelle Dennis will also be making their last appearances at home (although Dennis has said she plans to return for a fifth year after tearing her Achilles during preseason). The Bruins will be on the second leg of a two meet weekend, so watch for lineup changes—but keep in mind that this score will count in week 11 rankings for RQS purposes since it takes place after Sunday evening. San Jose State will see this meet as a season high opportunity, and Taylor Chan’s epic Uptown Funk floor routine is sure to be a hit in Pauley. Watch for the Spartans to stay on beam; that’s been their trouble spot so far this season, but vault and floor can get hot and lift the team well into the 195s.
These aren’t the only meets happening this weekend. To see all the matchups all in one place, take a look at our master schedule. You can also find live scoring and video links for all this weekend’s meets below.
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Don’t worry! We haven’t forgotten about Fantasy Gymnastics players. We have a number of resources to aid in your weekly success. Check out our updated injury report to see if any of your gymnasts have been out of action. We also have a list of teams on byes, as well as those with multiple competitions, this week.
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Article by the editors of NCAA Gym News
